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Diabolical Domains
Navigating Darkness follows a sixteen-year-old boy as he descends into a world of supernatural horrors where he is pushed to the brink of madness by a malevolent force. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’ve been interested in the realm of the supernatural ever since I was a young boy. With the revelation that “truth is stranger than fiction,” I was led to a great gathering of experiences, a story that must be told. Who were these demons waiting for darkness to enter my room and feed off the fear of a child? It’s been said that fear is a spirit, and it was my motivation in writing this story to bring to light that which dwells in diabolical domains and to expose the enemy of my soul with the light that overcomes the darkness.
Which character in the novel do you feel you relate to more and why?
The main character of the story is a teenage boy named Lucas Mofit. And without a doubt, I find Lucas to be the most relatable to myself. I recall the angst and rebellion of my own teenage years. Sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll, coupled with supernatural experiences, weighed heavily at times on my own adolescent soul. And yet, I managed to find light in the darkness, much like Lucas. The name Lucas means “bringer of light.”
How long did it take you to imagine, draft, and write the world Lucas finds himself in?
To imagine the world Lucas finds himself in, I only needed to recall my own journey through darkness. However, It took years to draft and write the manuscript. There were many obstacles along the way. There were days when I would finish my coffee with no ink on the page. And then there were those days when the creative juices were flowing, and the coffee would go cold.
I find a problem in well-written stories, in that I always want there to be another book to keep the story going. Is there a second book planned?
I never started out writing Navigating Darkness with the intention of writing a sequel. I was totally invested in the story from beginning to end. Although, after receiving such positive feedback and a desire to learn more about what happens next to Lucas, I’m left wondering myself. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
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Haunted by fears and supernatural signs, young Lucas Mofit must face his demons or risk losing his mind. Having found a way to escape the pressures of the day, sixteen-year-old Lucas looks forward to a night of self-indulgence. What he gets is more than he wants. In the woods, a dog is chasing its tail in a ring of smoke. “The Devil?” It’s the first sign. Day after day and night after night, they continue―visions and voices, omens and nightmares. His friends seek to console him, but to no avail. He feels all alone . . . But he’s not alone. There is something wicked with him, something frightening and foul. He can’t take it anymore. Finally, he breaks. He cries out to God, and God hears him. All is well until it happens again! Lust leads him to darkness. And in the darkness, a dog is chasing its tail.
Reliving Trauma
Helipads in Heaven follows a successful author who is given the opportunity to become a test subject for time travel and travel back in time to her childhood. What inspired the setup of your story?
Helipads in Heaven was heavily inspired by myself and my own experiences. As such, the story came from a question I would often ask myself: “If you could travel back in time and see your younger self again, what would you say and what would she think about you?” From there, I began to develop a short story based on this question, which soon became the groundwork for Helipads in Heaven.
When traveling back in time, Goose discovers that she has forgotten some memories of trauma from her childhood and must weigh the cost of helping her 10-year-old self and jeopardizing her future life. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
All of the driving ideals behind the development of Goose/Dillon were based on myself. I knew I wanted to create a character that was heavily inspired by who I was at ten years old, from her short, curly hair to the bomber jacket she would wear even when the weather was too warm. With that being said, Goose is, in many ways, not like myself. She’s much bolder than I was at ten years old, and she’s much braver. In many ways, I made both Goose and Dillon (Goose twenty years in the future, going by her real name) better versions of myself, but of course, they still had flaws and vast room for development throughout the story.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
When writing Helipads in Heaven, I knew that, at the surface, I needed to explore themes of bullying and trauma and, more specifically, how this affects both characters and people on a larger scale. For example, Dillon is thirty years old and reliving trauma she experienced when she was ten. On a deeper level, I wanted to explore childhood dreams. Every child is asked what they want to be when they grow up, but how many of them keep that dream all the way to adulthood? There are so many children with huge dreams, such as Goose, who are told they can’t achieve them, and this, in turn, negatively impacts them. I was a child who was told that my dreams were too big, and while I ended up proving those who said this to me wrong, I knew it was something that was important to cover in this story.
What is the next book that you are working on and when can your fans expect it to be out?
My next book is called Neverfar, the third book in the Neverdying series. It will be released on June 30, 2024!
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World-renowned author Dillon Hershkop has everything she wants in life, but getting there hasn’t been easy. Now thirty years old, she has achieved almost everything she dreamed of as a young girl: A dazzling career, a devoted fan base, and a picture-perfect family—but despite all of this, she is also painstakingly bored.
That is why, when Dillon receives the opportunity to become the test subject for a time-traveling experiment hosted by JPL’s brand new Center for Experimental Science, she seizes the opportunity to explore La Cañada—and the places she grew up around—without any immediate reservations. In exchange, she can write a brand new memoir both about time travel and the nearly forgotten experiences that shaped her into the talented woman she is today. That is, if she returns. Dillon is soon thrown head-first as an adult spectator into the complicated world of her ten-year-old self—fondly nicknamed Goose—from her love of helicopters, writing, and all things Elton John, to her unreceptive fourth-grade teacher, Ms. Vincent, her sourly judgemental classmates, and the missed opportunities of a fourth-grade writer with a smothered voice.
As she observes the childhood she does not entirely remember, she begins to realize that there are reasons for the holes in her memories—things she must not remember, because if she does, it may become impossible to stand back and watch the oil of her bottled-up trauma be poured into a fire from a distance. And if she goes against the direct orders of the laboratory, the effects of tampering with a nearly unknown science may permanently disrupt the fabrics of time, space, and Dillon’s existence.
From the teenage author of You Won’t Know Her Name, Helipads in Heaven is a deep and heartwarming adventure of time travel, childhood ambitions, and at the core, a love letter to unique children and those who dare to dream.
See the Light Again
All I See Are Dark Clouds follows a vampire filled with guilt over the death of her best friend who now dedicates her life to helping other nonhumans adapt to life in the human world. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I always had 3 stories in mind. All I See Are Dark Clouds was different as I knew exactly what I wanted to portray, grief. Not only did I want to portray grief, but also how one can eventually overcome a dark time and be able to see the light again even if they don’t think they deserve it.
Cammie struggles with her past and how to live her life now as a vampire. Is your main character someone you would get along with usually?
Back in The Darkest Side of the Moon when Camille is introduced, she is a typical teenage girl full of drama that at times can be a turnoff. Now in All I See Are Dark Clouds, Camille, or Cammie, is a shell of herself who generally pushes others away, but has matured beyond her years. Her maturity would be someone I would get along with, if she would let me in.
How do you balance the demands of writing with other responsibilities?
Determination and commitment. I’ve started many writing projects in the past that I never finished. COVID-19 helped me get back in the writing seat when there weren’t many places to go, and I found myself working from home which is why I incorporated the true event into All I See Are Dark Clouds. Learned a lot about myself and writing style in the process as well as gained the confidence to share my stories.
What would you advise young writers trying to build a publishing history or an author platform?
It takes a lot of patience and time. There are many lessons to learn along the way. It’s not about the end goal, selling an abundance of books, it’s about the journey and the steps one takes outside of their comfort zone that allows one to learn and grow.
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